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I’ve long admired those kid-carrying Dutch bikes, but most of them seem incredibly large and unwieldy. The other day I saw a dad squiring his two adorable kids around in this much more compact version from Nihola. It seems that you can track them down through Clever Cycles in Portland. Otherwise you have to friend Nihola on Facebook in order to get US contact. Does anyone know of another source? I have been scouring the web.

Comments (3)

I actually test rode a Nihola cargo bike at Clever Cycles and didn’t really care for how it rode compared to a standard two wheel cargo bike. The difference is how the bike is balanced and how you Initiate turning. On a two wheel bike, even with a cargo box, you bank your turns and counter-steer for balance. With a three wheel bike, you have to lean into your turns in the opposite direction so as to counter your weight over the front wheels (similar to a motorcycle with a side car attached). It all comes down to personal preference and it just didn’t work for me. But they are extremely stable and you don’t have to worry as mug about dumping your kids out if you lost your balance (though they are tippy in another way, which could happen on a sharp turn at too high of speed). Or if you are hauling bigger kids who weigh more, a 3 wheel bike gives you extra stability in that manner as well.

We ended up purchasing the smaller of the Metrofiet cargo bikes and LOVE it. It actually feels quite stable to me and I love that I can ride it like a regular bike. Anyway, personal preference but one discovered after test driving six different brands of cargo bikes, each one handling interestingly different from one another. I chose the one that fit my size and handling preferences the best.

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